In this infographic, we dive into the history of various famous logos, outlining their design history and the goals behind their use. We’ve taken the liberty of not only including old and well-established companies such as Coca-Cola, but also including the likes of SpaceX and Tesla, both of whom we believe have logos that will be recognized as design classics well in to the future.

Logos date back well into the times of kings and queens living in castles, using their coats of arms to identify “true” goods, services, and where they came from. As capitalism and commerce evolved, logos evolved alongside them, going from representing a specific family or “claim,” to groups of traders and merchants. We can still see such references to coats of arms in countries’ flags, the crests used by sports teams, and even in the motifs of modern day companies. But what are the most famous and most iconic logos currently in use?